Signaling device.



C O. LOUTHAN.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAYIB. I916.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

11v VEN TOR. Char/f6 0. LouT/mn.

TRNE 1 CHARLIE O. LOUTHAN, OEKANSAS CITY, .KANSAS.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

Application filed May 16, 1916. Serial No. 97,801.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLIE O. 'LoUTHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of \Vyandotte and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Devices; and I do declare the following to' be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters and'figures .of reference marked thereon,"

which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to burglar alarms for automobiles and has-for its principal object to provide a device of this character whereby the owner of an automobile may be warned should any one, other than one authorized, tamper with, or attempt to start the machine.

Inaccomplishing this object, I have provided the details of structure hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure I is a perspective view of an automobile equipped with my invention showing the disposition of the contact members within the hood of the automobile and their connecting wires.

Fig. II is adiagrammatic view showing the contact members, the battery and sig naling device and their connecting wires.

Fig. III is a detail perspective view, illustrating the mounting of the magnetic coil within its housing, the contact post and platesfand wires connecting therewith.

Fig. IV is a pers ective view of the contact plates for closing a circuit through the alarm when released by the throttle mechanism.

Fig. V is a detail perspective view of one set of. contact plates, which are adapted for closing a circuit through the horn motor when released by. the opening of the hood doors.

Fig. VI is asectional view through the battery box, showing the means for closing a circuit through the alarm by raisingthe box end.

Fig, VII isa detail perspective view of the. lock for closing or breaking a circuit through the system.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates the hood of an automobile of ordinary construction and having side opening hood doors, 2, adashboard,3,steering posts 4:, and a throttle adjusting arm 5, which is operable from the steering wheel position to open or close the throttle valve of the motor (not shown).

Mounted at any desirable place on the machine, preferably at the side thereof, is a housing 6 for containing a battery 7, which is connected by wires as will presently be described with the motor 8 of an electrically operated horn 9, .by which the owner of the car may be alarmed should an "unauthorized person attempt to start the machine or tamper with the mechanism; the horn preferably being concealed within a perforated housing 10, carried within .the hood on the automobile frame member 11.

Leading from the positive pole of the battery 7, through a'conduit 12, which extends from the battery housing to a housing 13 that is mounted on the dash and concealed within the hood is a circuit Wire 14,

which connects within the housing to one pole of a magnetic solenoid coil 16.

Interposed in the circuit wire 14 between its connection with the battery]? and coil 16, is a lock 17, which may be mounted at any convenient place in the dash 3, so that it is accessible from the drivers seat; the said lock being carried in an'insulated barrel 18, having yielding contact members l920 mounted therein to which the branches. of the circuit wire 14 are attached. The lock comprises a revoluble barrel 21, which carries at its inner 'enda projecting pin 22, which is adapted when the barrel is turned to a locked position to engage the contact member 19, so that the two contact members 19 ga ed, may be brought in contact and an unfiroken line formed between the battery and coil.

Mounted within the hood 1 in anv suitable position preferably on the side frame adjacent the lower end of the steerin post 4, is a block 25 which carries contact p ates 2627 that are insulated from each other and provided with binding posts 28-29 respectively, to which circuit wires 3030 are connected; the wire 30 also being connected with the negative pole of the battery and the wire 30 with a pole of the coil 16, so that with the lock closed, a circuit may be closed from the battery through wires 14-30 and 30' to energize the coil 16.

20 which are normally disen- I gig;

Connected with the throttle lever 5 and with the contact plate 26, is a cable 36 which is of sucha length and the lever 5 so positioned that when the throttle is closed the lever 5 will draw the cable taut to draw the plate 26 out of engagement with the plate 27, so that a circuit through the coil will be broken, but when the throttle is opened the cable is slackened and the members 26-27 contact each other and close the circuit through the coil.

Suspended above the coil core 38 on a spring arm 39 that is secured to the side of the housing 13, is a metallic rod 40, the end of which carries a disk 41; the rod being so placed with relation to the coil that when a circuit is passed through the coil, the latter is energized and the disk ll and rod +10 are magnetically drawn downwardly toward the core 38 sothat contact pins -l3-44 extending from the said rod are brought in contact with plate l5l6 respectively that are carried on supporting partitions 47l8 within the housing 13 and provided near their free ends with adjusting screws t5-l6 and at the fixed ends with binding posts 49-50.

Connected with the spring arm 39 by means of a binding post 51 is a circuit wire 5:! which connects also with the circuit wire 30, and connected with the plate 46 by means of the binding post 50 is a circuitwire 55 which connects at its opposite end with the wire 30'.

Leading from the poles of the horn motor 9 are wires 56-57, which connect respectively with the binding post 49 and circuit wire 1:1 so that when a circuit from the battery is closed through wire 1430 and 30', the coil 16 is energized and the rod 40 is magnetically drawn downwardly bringing the pins l3 into contact with plate 45 so that a current is closed from the positive pole of the battery through circuit wires 11-, and 57; the horn motor, wires 56, plate 45, rod all), arm 39, wire 52, and wire 30 to the negative pole of the battery so thatthe horn motor is energized and the alarm given.

By this arrangement it will be seen that the owner or driver when leaving his car, may turn the lock bolt 21 so that the pin 22 will hold the contact plates 19-20 in contact with each other and by closing the throttle the lever 5 is thrown back to tighten the cable 36 and disengage the plate 2(3 27. Should any one then attempt to start the car it is necessary that the throttle lever be turned to open the throttle. ()n doing this the cable is slackened which will permit a contact of the plates 2(S-27 and a circuit is closed through the coil as previously de-' scribed which will energize the same to draw the bar 40 downwardly to complete a circuit through the horn mechanism which will give an alarm to the owner.

) allowed to spring upwardly to contact the plate 62.

Connected with binding posts 66-67 on the plates 62-63 are circuit wires 6869 which lead respectively to wires 30 and 30. so that when the lock parts are engaged should any one raise a hood door, the plates (53 will engage the plate 62 and a circuit is closed through the coil from the positive pole of the battery through wires 1430'-69 plates 6263, wires 68 and 30 to the negative pole of the battery which will energize the coil to magnetically draw the rod 40 downwardly to again close a circuit through the horn motor to give an alarm as previously described.

I also provide a means for giving an alarm should any one attempt to remove the batteries from their housings. This means com- )rises the spring arms 75-7 6 having bind- 1ng posts 7778 to which are connected by circuit wires 7980 leading respectively to the wires 3030; the arms 7576 being held disengaged when the box lid is closed by a bolt 82 projecting from the said lid, but should the bolt be removed so that the lid be raised, the boltreleases the spring arm 76 allowing it to contact the arm 75 and a circuit is closed through the coil from the positive pole of a battery through wires 1430 80, arms 76 75, wires 79-30 to negative pole of battery. which will energize the coil to close -a circuit through the horn motor to operate the same as previously described.

\Vith the parts so arranged it will be seen that should the owner of a car equipped with my invention wish to leave the same, he may set the alarm by turning the lock barrel 21 to such a position that the pin 22 thereon will cause the contact member 19 to engage the member 20. The contact members carried on the blocks 25, 60 and 61 are nor- 12o mally held disengaged respectively by the throttle arm 5 and hood door posts (Sel 65, but should any one attempt to open the throttle or to raise a hood door, a circuit will be closed from the battery to the horn motor and the same will continue to operate to alarm the owner until he, or one with a suitable key, turns the lock bolt to release the (mntact plates 19'20 tobreak the circuiti.

It is apparent that with a device of this character a simple and compact means isprovided whereby an automobile owner is protected against theft of the car and as the parts and their connecting wires may be concealed or placed in conduits they cannot be tampered with or disconnected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

.1. The combination with an automobile having a hood, hood doors, and a throttle mechanism, ofa signaling system comprising a battery,a signaling mechanism having electrical connection with the said battery, means connected with said throttle mechanism and means on said hood doors for closing or breakingsaid electricalconnection throu h the said system and a lock for breaking or closing a connection with said signaling mechanism.

2. The combination with an automobile having a hood, hood doors, "and a throttle mechanism, of a signaling system compris-- ing a battery, an electrically operated signaling mechanism having electrical connection with said battery, a pair of contact plates adjacent'each of said hood doors interposed in said electrical connection, a post on each of said doors for holding said plates disengaged when said doors are closed, a

having a hood, hood doors, and-a throttle v -mechanism, of .a signaling system comprising a battery, *an electrically operated signaling mechanism having electrical connection with said battery, a pair of contact plates adjacent each-of said hood doors interposed in said electrical connection, a post on each of said doors for holding said plates disengaged when said doors are closed, a pair of contact plates interposed in said electrical connection adjacent said throttle mechi' anism, means connected with said throttle mechanism for breaking or closing a circuit through the last named contact plate, and a relay operable by the battery for closing a circuit through said signaling mechanism and battery.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLIE O. LOU-THAN. 

